There is no doubt: humanity has grown. On further reflection, it would be more accurate to say "has grown in size." In other areas, the direction is completely unclear.
How do I know that humanity has grown? From the automobile industry, of course. That's where most of human wisdom lies. A few years ago, during one of the car launches I attended, I kept hearing the manufacturer's representatives boast about the fact that the dimensions of the new model had increased by millimeters in every direction - lengthwise, widthwise, heightwise, and probably diagonally as well. At the first opportunity, I grabbed the lapel of one of the designers of that car, who was also present at the same launch, and asked him angrily: "Why? Why are you constantly raising and lengthening and widening your cars? Aren't the roads crowded enough already?".
The affable designer tore the flap of his garment from my nails and said in a cold tone: "You are guilty!" "We?" I asked in astonishment, and quickly looked up my attorney's phone number, "What did we do?" "You have grown," he clarified, "you have grown in every direction. You, humans, are constantly getting taller, wider and - what can I say - heavier.".
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I was offended in the name of humanity, but I went to check the statistics and studies. He's right. Since then, I've known what yeast dough and the human race have in common: we both rise all the time.
theVolkswagen polo It is, as you know, the Golf's talented little sister. It was born in 1975, a year after the body was born, has been bought by more than 12 million customers so far and has lasted five generations (Volkswagen is very good at producing long-lasting models). The current generation - the fifth - was born in 2009. After five years of life, it's time to get a facelift, some Botox, a gym, a pedicure, a manicure, because its strength is in its hips - last year alone it was sold 711 thousand times.
To clarify the above opening, here is a fact: The current Polo is bigger in every way than the first Golf. The current Polo is longer, wider, taller. In other words: what was once a "compact" has now become a "super-mini." And it's all because of us. We're really to blame. We took too many vitamins.
The Polo today is a mature, mature car. The slow development, the careful improvement, the polishing are evident. It has not aged at all, but it has certainly matured. In the fifth generation, it also received a new designer - instead of the maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro, the maestro Walter da Silva arrived, and gave it some of the design credentials that he also gave to the Golf. There is no doubt that he deliberately sought to create a visual connection between the two. He succeeded. The two look even more like sisters today; a real Golf in size M and next to it a Golf in size L. The appearance may not be very exciting, but a confidence-inspiring and appreciative impression has certainly been created, and an overall appearance that radiates quite a bit of that feeling of warm and relaxed homeliness that frequently accompanies encounters with a familiar, lovable, and stable product.
The first Polo I drove was called (for some reason) the Cross-Polo. Why Cross? Probably to evoke thoughts of a tough and adventurous crossover. But in reality, it's just a set of belly decorations, thickened fenders, 17-inch tires, silver-colored side mirrors, and other oddities that add 3.6 centimeters of height to the car (thanks to the enlarged tires). And also quite a bit of gnarled charm, so to speak, nice to the eye, comfortable on the road (again thanks to the tires), pretty meaningless off the road.
The engine - a 1.2-liter supercharged 90 horsepower and reasonable and available torque, with a DSG (dual-clutch automatic); the equipment - quite amazing: from a navigation system and radio on a Dashen video screen to radar-based cruise control, smartphone connections, Internet, Bluetooth, parking, braking, driving and alertness assistance systems. Systems that until now agreed to stay only in much larger and more expensive motor creatures, were forced to come down to the people, and now they are here too. Bravo.
The entire passenger compartment, and in fact the entire car, radiates utility, efficiency, and seriousness. Really? A pinch of cheerful bravado wouldn't hurt here. In colors. In design. In equipment. But perhaps some of the customers would turn up their serious noses at the sight of such frivolous nonsense, and that, of course, is forbidden.
Despite the engine's modest dimensions, it's no idler. Here and there, you have to whip it a little with your right foot, and then it surprises with its willingness to gallop. The supercharger, the torque, that is - the flexibility - give it considerable life and vigor. The steering wheel, of the so-called electro-mechanical variety, is a bit light, as expected. That's how it is with electro-mechanical steering wheels, but it wasn't annoying, it just required a little release from mental fixations and a little adaptation.
Adults can also sit in the back seats, but they won't suffer from excess living space or feel lost in space. On the other hand, they won't suffer from discomfort around the knees or in the groin area.
Sharp, energetic and entertaining
The second Polo was not a crossover. Same engine, same gearbox, slightly narrower tires, and therefore also a little lower. 100 kilos less in weight, and it's noticeable - both the weight and the center of gravity are a little lower. The car is clearly sharper, more energetic, more fun. Pressing the S (Sport) button sharpens it even more. Of course, there's no need to get carried away; this is not a dwarf version of the Golf GTI, (although a Polo GTI is on the way), but this Polo is absolutely not boring.
The dessert shocked the needs and desires of a motoring enthusiast like me: a Polo with 90 horsepower and a manual transmission. What fun. What a sweetheart. What a precise harmony between engine and transmission.
But since the last of the readers abandoned me the moment I desecrated the holy place and said "hand chalk," I'll shut up now. I, in any case, enjoyed it. Sorry.
The writer was a guest of Volkswagen in Germany.
Some of the competitors
Toyota Yaris
The new generation of theToyota The Yaris recently landed with similar dimensions and a presence on the exterior. The cabin is upgraded and equipped with richer standard equipment. For about 94,000 shekels, you get an automatic version with a 1.3-liter engine with 99 hp, a continuous transmission and an average consumption of about 20 km per liter.
Opel Corsa 2015
Mazda 2 2015
Mazda The new 2 looks more mature and sporty, and its increased dimensions promise improved interior space. The passenger compartment is a scaled-down version of the new 3, and the main engine in Israel will be a 1.5-liter, with an advanced 6-speed gearbox.
